How can a novel be smoothly integrated with a textbook?
Correlating a few pages of Heilewif’s Tale, a novel about life in the Middle Ages, with the two leading high school world history texts will demonstrate how good, educationally useful, historical fiction can enhance and support the typical textbook treatment of important concepts and provide the teacher with a tool to promote values-rich thinking skill development.
Scholasticism was the intellectual underpinning of the medieval authoritarian mind-set and the bulwark of Church authority. Teachers know that it isn’t possible to understand the medieval world without understanding this salient concept. Here’s what Prentice-Hall’s World History provides for them:
Christian Scholars Struggle With New Ideas The writings of the ancient Greeks posed a challenge to Christian scholars. Aristotle taught that people should use reason to discover basic truths. Christians, however, accepted many ideas on faith. They believed that the Church was the final authority on all questions. How could they use the logic of Aristotle without undermining their Christian faith?
Some Christian scholars tried to resolve the conflict between faith and reason. Their method, known as scholasticism, used reason to support Christian beliefs. Scholastics studied the works of the Muslim philospher Averroës (uh VEER uh weez) and the Jewish rabbi Maimonides (my MAHN uh deez). These thinkers, too, used logic to resolve the conflict between faith and reason.
The writings of these philosophers influenced the famous scholastic Thomas Aquinas (uh KWY nus). In a monumental work, Summa theologica, Aquinas concluded that faith and reason exist in harmony. Both lead to the same truth, that God rules over an orderly universe. Aquinas thus brought together Christian faith and classical Greek philosophy.
Ellis, Elizabeth and Esler, Anthony, World History, Prentice-Hall, 2009, p. 264.
McDougal-Littell’s World History: Patterns of Interaction is strikingly similar:
Aquinas and Medieval Philosophy Christian scholars were excited by the ideas of Greek philosophers. They wondered if a Christian scholar could use Aristotle’s logical approach to truth and still keep faith with the Bible. In the mid-1200s, the scholar Thomas Aquinas (uh KWY nuhs) argued that the most basic religious truths could be proved by logical argument. Between 1267 and 1273, Aquinas wrote the Summa Theologicae. Aquinas's great work, influenced by Aristotle, combined ancient Greek thought with the Christian thought of his time. Aquinas and his fellow scholars who met at the great universities were known as schoolmen, or scholastics. The scholastics used their knowledge of Aristotle to debate many issues of their time. Their teachings on law and government influenced the thinking of western Europeans, particularly the English and French. Accordingly, they began to develop democratic institutions and traditions.
Beck, Roger, et.al.,World History: Patterns of Interaction,McDougal-Littell,2005,p.392.
Both texts introduce the right people and ideas, but nowhere do we get any sense of the struggle of an emerging science against the hold of scholastic authoritarianism.
Now read a few pages from Heilewif’s Tale and consider how good historical fiction can bring the textbook to life and open key discussion opportunities for a skilled teacher .
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ourteen men, the entire faculty in medicine, walked into the great hall where Robert was waiting. The doctors were led by the much renowned Hugobert Duis, a big balding man in his middle years. Duis was dean of the medical faculty and his authority was clearly evident by his deportment as well as by the obvious deference paid to him by his colleagues. Robert saw it too and welcomed the feeling of confidence that came from the expectation of competence; and he did demand competence from these men. They were, after all, his faculty, from his university. He had endowed it, at great personal expense, to rival the great medical minds at the University of Paris. Now we would see.
The sergeant at arms announced the audience. “Learned doctors, your liege lord, Robert of Wittelsbach, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Arch-Steward and Esteemed Elector of the Holy Roman Empire.”
Everyone bowed politely and Robert, who was seated at the high table flanked by his steward and chancellor, spoke. “Lettered and erudite doctors, you have been informed of the strange illness that has befallen our own daughter. Tell me how you wish to proceed.”
The big man spoke. “I am Hugobert Duis, dean of the medical faculty; and if it pleases my lord I will speak for the delegation.”
Robert nodded his assent and Duis continued. “Doctor Asinus has given us a description, in great detail, concerning the condition of the unfortunate young woman. However, there is little we can conclude without examining her ourselves. Medicine is a science my lord. Our interventions, remedies and antidotes must be precisely applied.”
Robert’s failure to respond drew the doctor on. “There are four fluids within the body my lord and these fluids must be in parity to maintain good health. When an imbalance occurs it is the result of a profusion of one or more of these humors. The four are blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. Each of these is mined from food in the stomach and intestines. Illness results from disproportion.”
“And how do these disproportions occur?” Robert asked.
“There are many factors that can contribute to an imbalance, not the least of which is mental stress caused by certain immoral acts or the natural result of gluttony or intemperate behavior of any sort. I will not inquire about this further except to say that you must take it into account as a recurrence of the affliction will be rendered inevitable if it is not corrected.”
“You wish to see her then?”
“Yes, my lord.”
The entire entourage, led by the count, then filed silently up the main staircase to the sleeping chambers. Aurianna was dressed in a loose linen chemise. She was asked to remove it and to lie down. The doctors circled the bed studying every detail of her outward aspect, feeling her forehead and the palms of her hands, looking into her mouth and under her tongue, studying her eyes, listening to her breath, all while exchanging knowing nods punctuated by hmm’s and aah’s. Round and round the bed they crawled like a slow carousel. Robert left the doctors to their examination and deliberation. Ava and the chambermaids remained. Aurianna endured with dignity as her mother had demanded....
....The booming voice of the sergeant at arms, from somewhere in the main hall, broke Robert’s concentration. “Find his lordship at once, the doctors are ready.”
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he unfortunate young women is suffering from an excess of phlegm, this is clear from the text of her body and from reports of her appearance and demeanor when stricken. She is pale and cold and by your account when afflicted is in a pallid stupor. These anemic and ashen signs indicate an imbalance between phlegm and yellow bile. Phlegm is cold and wet, its opposite, yellow bile, is hot and dry. Our advice is to reduce the presence of phlegm and increase the quantity of yellow bile in her body.”
“And how do you propose to do this, doctor?”
“The dried root of the Black Hellebore will be used as a powder snuff that will cause a rapid running of the nose and reduce the phlegm. This will be accompanied by sweating the patient to drain phlegm and drinking red wine will augment the yellow bile. All of this will work to restore her humorous balance. As a further intervention we will apply leeches to the back and chest of the patient, and perhaps in the nose to bleed the lungs, which is the principle repository of the phlegm. In this way we will bring her back into good health.”
Robert gave his permission for the intervention to begin immediately. The Hellebore was a violent irritant that produced copious amounts of nasal discharge, which pleased the doctors, who smelled and tasted it and pointed out to the parents that this reduction of phlegm could only help their child. Although the accompanying sneezing and coughing did seem worrying, they said nothing. After this, the fire in the bed chamber was brought to a roar and Aurianna, wrapped in blankets, began her purgative sweating. Repeated goblets of red wine finally allowed her to fall sleep and the treatment was suspended, only to begin again several hours later.
“Bring the worms here,” Duis ordered and a large bowl containing several dozen leeches was carried to the bedside. “Are you familiar with this treatment child?” he asked.
“No, doctor.”
“We are going to reduce your blood because it contains a false mixture of humors. To do this we will place leeches on your body at appropriate places. Now, since we are after excess phlegm, which resides in the lungs, we will place the worms over your chest and back and one in each nostril. In this way the blood they suck will come primarily from your lungs. You must lay still child and be patient; there will be no pain.”
And so the worms did their nasty work while the parents nervously paced and the clearly worried doctors converged in a circle....
The following focus questions can help students prepare for a class discussion about the nature of external authority and its impact on the search for scientific truth. External authority pervading the student’s own life will naturally emerge and students will see, unprompted, the relevance of history in their lives.
In what ways do the doctors from Heidelberg follow scholastic method?
Use an Aristotelian syllogistic structure, as Aquinas would, to diagram the approach of the doctors.
All illness is caused by an imbalance of the four bodily humors.
Aurianna is ill.
Aurianna has an imbalance of bodily humors.
Why was this method destined to fail?
Now, read a bit more from Heilewif’s Tale that contrasts the old woman’s experiments to find the cause of the mysterious illness with the scholastic method of the doctors.
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he early morning light was adequate for Heilewif to retrieve some of her jars from their hiding place and only the forward watch was awake. It was a perfect time to begin.
“This powder is called the Devil’s Cherry,” Heilewif said, opening a small pigskin pouch. “It is a powerful sedative, widely suspected of being used by witches for diabolical and magical purposes. It can cause violent convulsions and agonizing death if given in overdose. I suspect it might be Satan’s proxy in this evil endeavor and I would like to begin with it.”
Heilewif had only used the weed in very mild teas made from the leaves of the plant. She had only administered these to frightened woman to allay their fears and to combat nervousness. She now planned to use the seeds, which had been dried in an oven and then crushed into a powder. She had never used this preparation before and how much to give was the dilemma. A big man could absorb a greater dose, with equal effect, when compared to a smaller woman, but how much more, and her calculations were complicated further by the knowledge that the seed was far more potent than the leaves. But how much more potent was equally unknown to her. She was pushing the envelope of her experience and it disturbed her greatly.
“We shall begin with one small spoonful diluted in this cup of wine.” Oh God, she thought, if this is too much he could die. “No, better one half-spoonful.”
The knight drank the potion and walked about as Heilewif suggested. The woman watched. “Are you feeling any effect?” she asked after noticing a slight stagger in his stride. The knight didn’t immediately answer, but sensing a loss of balance, suddenly sat down on the flat deck. “I’m feeling dizzy, but very relaxed,” he said.
“Can you concentrate and clearly understand my words?” she asked.
“I cannot keep my eyes focused and I feel like I am floating freely somewhere above the ground.”
She waited several minutes and watched as he sat motionless cradling his forehead between his hands. His breathing slowed and became shallower. Perspiration became visible on his face and forehead. “Can you stand up?” she asked, but got no response. She lifted his face from under his chin and said loudly, “open your eyes, Sir Shilgen,” but got no response. “Can you hear me?” she asked, somewhat unnerved, again and again with no answer still. When she released her hold on his chin, however, he did not drop his head, but rather stayed upright and seemingly conscious, even though he was clearly suspended in a hypnotic lethargy and this caused her some relief.
Heilewif watched him for an hour and was pleased with the result of this first experiment as she had suspected that a powerful dose of the drug would induce a waking trance of the kind described to her. How long the stupor would last was also unknown to her and she determined to get him back to his bed before anyone woke and saw them. “Can you stand now, Sir Shilgen?” she asked, pulling him up by the arms, hoping that her pitiable strength would be enough to encourage him to move. Remarkably, he comprehended her words and stood almost effortlessly remaining well balanced, but mute. She guided him slowly back to his bed and asked, “do you know who I am Sir Shilgen?” He opened his eyes and said nothing; she saw his fully dilated pupils and his stark empty stare....
By evaluating Heilewif’s method against that of the Heidelberg doctors the students gain valuable insight into the intellectual struggle that marked the cultural transition taking place at the end of the Middle Ages.
Historical fiction can provide a powerful new dimension to any high school history program. A good historical novel adds color and excitement to the student’s picture of the past, which is, unfortunately, too often deadly dull. This alone is a forceful reason to use it. But, alone it isn’t reason enough. The novel also needs to be educationally useful and effective in the everyday delivery of instruction and therefore must correlate easily with the textbooks teacher's use.
Heilewif’s Tale is a mystery that takes place in the Rhineland during the high middle ages. It was specifically written to support a typical secondary school study of medieval history and to clarify for students the social and political nature of feudal European civilization. It encourages students to think deeply about themselves and their beliefs by examining universal ethical dilemmas through the perspective of an extremely communal society and helps them to formulate astute questions to ask about conflicts and turning points in their own lives. Heilewif’s Tale combines a compelling story, which is historically detailed and accurate, with content that supports ordinary school curricula and is time/benefit efficient.